


Lion and Hunter, Leo and Cernunnos, Ashe and Petra

by ThePrimeOne



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Dreams, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Petrashe Week (Fire Emblem), Petrashe Week 2020, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Spoilers for Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27054913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePrimeOne/pseuds/ThePrimeOne
Summary: “That one there is Leo, the Lion. Many stories and recounts of Loog life have small differing variations. Still, one thing they all agree on is that the constellation that the Loog and the Maiden of Wind married under was named after Loog’s moniker ‘The King of Lions’, by his sworn friend Kyphon."“My father... he was showing a constellation to me as a child the night he was leaving to fight the Empire. It was one of a hunter spirit named Cernunnos, the spirit I am asking for blessings when I am killing and skinning prey. It is the way we are hunting in Brigid, to allow for greater bountiful blessings in the future, and has great meaning to me.”In which Ashe and Petra have a moment together as their final days at the monastery creep upon them.
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Petra Macneary
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	Lion and Hunter, Leo and Cernunnos, Ashe and Petra

**Author's Note:**

> I've probably done this exact sort of fic before but I was more than half way done with it when I realised it, so if it seems familiar, my bad lol.

Ashe couldn’t sleep. No matter how many times he tossed and turned, flipped his pillows or changed which end of the bed he slept on, he couldn’t find it in himself to let his sleepy mind fall into a deep sleep he desperately needed. Yet, thoughts of the last year at his time at the Officer’s Academy, the revelation that Edelgard was, in fact, the Flame Emperor, and that she declared war on the Church had kept him up at night for the days following news of the declaration.

By now, on other nights, he’d be fast asleep, but tonight was too egregious with how intensely his mind forced his body to stay awake. Ashe he gave in and rose out of bed, his fingers crossed both literally and figuratively, that some manner of fresh air might settle his frazzled mind.

He carefully walked over to his desk in the dark, his hands gliding over his desk until he found his lantern and tinderbox. Ashe opened the tinderbox and picked out a firesteel and a striker, something he became quite familiar with and oddly treasured after he once stole a pair from a vendor years ago. Ashe opened the lantern’s door that hid the wick in it and carefully held up the tools near it. Ashe pressed the striker against the firesteel and pushed the worn material off it, creating a small spark that lit up the wick. The sudden warmth that filled the room with the light reminded Ashe of the small fires in the cold and dark alleyways that Ashe desperately kept aflame to keep him and his siblings warm in the night. It kept him humble, despite how blessed he was by Lonato, and blessed he was to be here in the safety of the Officer’s Academy, however temporary it would remain.

Ashe closed the door containing the fire and carefully peered out of his room, carefully checking if anyone on night watch had made themselves comfortable nearby. When no one had made themselves known, Ashe snagged his jacket to cover himself from the spring night’s cool breeze and carefully shut the door behind him and quietly walked out. His feet pressed against wood then grass as he quietly wandered down towards the small pond.

Ashe knew better than to be out and about with how strict Rhea and Seteth had been about increasing and enforcing more security measures, but Ashe desperately needed something to do to clear his mind.

He carefully stepped down onto two stone steps leading to more grass and glanced at the pond, then up at the sky, to the lights that reflected off the pond’s surface. The lights in the sky twinkled above in the thousands, millions, and perhaps more, symbols of the Goddess’ power.

He looked back to the pond again and turned his head towards the steps leading to the dining hall, and a familiar light, one like his lit the stairway leading up. He stood and stared for a moment before he found himself walking towards it like a moth to a flame.

His feet pressed against soft stone, Ashe steadying his breathing, berating himself for rightfully feeling nervous, considering the circumstances. Ashe’s feet quickly stopped him in place when he saw the person who sat on the staircase.

There sat Petra Macneary, the Princess of Brigid he’d made quick friends within the second month of their year at the Officer’s Academy after a misunderstanding with Anna, one of the monastery’s local merchants. She didn’t seem to notice him, too focused on a letter in her hands; hands that creased the note in frustration, despite her calm demeanour. Ashe stood in place a few more moments unsure of what to say or do before he found it within him to speak.

“Petra?” Ashe blurted out without warning.

The girl’s head snapped up, eyes widening and her hand instinctively pulling out a dagger she discreetly kept with her. Petra’s face morphed into an expression of relief when she realised he stood before her. Petra let her tense body relax, hiding the dagger once more.

“Ashe. You were surprising me with your presence. I was not knowing you would be here,” she said steadily, lacking much in the way of emotion compared to how she usually greeted him.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t know I’d be here either. Honestly, I’m just as surprised you’re here too,” Ashe chuckled. Petra’s lips lifted momentarily, then fell, her gaze down at the letter again. Ashe tilted his head curiously. It was rare to see Petra visibly upset, at least as far as he could tell. “Couldn’t sleep?” Ashe questioned her.

Petra glanced back up and nodded. “Yes. I am finding sleep is difficult to come by with what is happening, as you know.”

“Ah,” Ashe said softly. Brigid and the Empire’s relationship was shaky, to put it lightly, as he gathered earlier on in the year. With Edelgard declaring war, he had no doubt Petra would have to pick a side to fight for at best, or at worst, fight against the Church. The thought didn’t sit well with him. He snapped out of his thoughts and quickly cleared his throat. “Yeah, I understand. That’s why I’m out here too, actually. I figured some fresh air and some time to wander around might help me feel at least a little tired.”

“I have understanding. I am finding that is helping as well,” Petra affirmed.

“That’s good to know,” Ashe smiled in time with his response before he failed to find the words to continue any manner of conversation, small or meaningful. Ashe turned back to the pond again, trying to brush off the awkward atmosphere before he decided to face it head-on. 

“Um… I’m not disturbing you, am I, Petra?” Ashe asked, his back now to the pond and pier.

“Hm? Of course, you are not Ashe. I am grateful for your company. It is raising my spirits, so to speak,” she smiled at him a little more brightly than before. “You can be sitting with me if you like.”

“Oh, OK,” Ashe nodded. He took a seat near Petra on the staircase, his lantern placed at his side. Ashe leaned back to look at the sky, his elbows propped up against the higher stairs behind his back. The two sat in silence little longer before the parchment in Petra’s hands folded in half in the corner of his eye, placed out of sight. He licked his chapped lips, opting to not ask about the letter in her possession.

“Ashe?” Petra suddenly asked him before he can speak.

He tilts his head to the side, where Petra sits. “Yes, Petra?”

“What is it that you are looking at in the sky? Of course, the stars are being there but what are the… ah, what is the word for it?” she furrows her brow. “The shapes I mean. Constellations, yes?” she supplied, looking to Ashe for confirmation.

“Ah, yeah, that’s the word,” Ashe confirms.

“Yes. Constellations,” Petra nodded and looked back up. “What is it that you are seeing up there, Ashe?”

“What am I seeing?” Ashe repeated and squinted at some stars that made out a familiar pattern. “Well, do you see that star there, that bright one? If you follow that” Ashe pointed up and Petra followed as best she could, her eyes mirroring his for a moment before she spotted the stars in question. 

“Ah, yes, I see,” Petra hummed. “What is that one called?”

“That one there is Leo, the Lion. Many stories and recounts of Loog life have small differing variations. Still, one thing they all agree on is that the constellation that the Loog and the Maiden of Wind married under was named after Loog’s moniker ‘The King of Lions’, by his sworn friend Kyphon. The brightest star at the front is Regulus, where the Lion’s front right leg is, and the other brightest star is Denebola. That’s where the lion’s tail is.”

“Incredible,” Petra said in amazement. “I am seeing the resemblance now. Ever since I was young, I was finding it fascinating to me that someone can be making shapes from stars like this.”

Ashe looked to Petra, intrigued by what she said. “Since you were young?”

Brigid’s Princess didn’t look away from the sky. “Yes. A long time ago, My father- my father was showing me...” Petra suddenly stopped, and Ashe heard her choke up at the mention of her father. Despite her assuring him before she’d made peace with his passing before, even someone like Petra couldn’t hold back such suppressed emotions.

Ashe reached out a hand to her, cautiously and gently placed it on her shoulder. She tensed up for a moment but relaxed just as quickly. “Petra. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” he whispered reassurances to her with the gentle head shake.

The Brigid princess looked up and smiled gratefully, wiping at the corner of her eyes. “No. I am wanting to be telling you since you are here with me. I am wanting you to listen, but I have understanding if you are not comfortable.” 

Ashe released his hand from her shoulder. “Tell me,” Ashe said simply.

Petra shifted on the stair and nodded. “Thank you, Ashe,” she thanked him and looked to the sky again. “My father... he was showing a constellation to me as a child the night he was leaving to fight the Empire. It was one of a hunter spirit named Cernunnos, the spirit I am asking for blessings when I am killing and skinning prey. It is the way we are hunting in Brigid, to allow for greater bountiful blessings in the future, and has great meaning to me,” explained Petra. She stood up, shuffled down half-way and sat down on the same step, and pointed up to where she could freely see the constellation. 

“Yeah. I know how that feels too,” Ashe said with a sad look down at the stone stairs.

“And I am grateful that you have understanding. You can be seeing the stars here, Ashe,” she motioned for him to join her. The boy stood and sat near Petra and studied the stars in the direction Petra’s hand guided him.

“Oh, I see it now, those stars there on the right? It kind of looks like a shield.”

“Yes,” Petra nodded with a little more enthusiasm. “And the stars over there are connecting with each other to be making a sword.”

“Yeah, I can see that too~ That’s incredible. I never knew that was a constellation,” Ashe watched on in awe.

“Yes. It is one that many are not having knowledge of in Fodlan, I am thinking. I am knowing this will sound strange, but these stars are being dear to me. They are reminding me of home. Of my…” she paused and bit her lip. Ashe watched on with bated breath, but didn’t dare ask, should he accidentally cross a boundary of sorts; he already feared he towed some line trying to comfort her earlier. 

“They are reminding me of my last conversation with my father before he passed,” she bluntly spoke, her head resting back against the stone wall and eyes closed in deep thought. 

“Petra…” Ashe frowned deeply.

“I am remembering his words to me. Ones forever engraved on my heart. He was telling me that the stars that make the Hunter are meaning a great deal to Brigid. It is a symbol of my homeland and my people’s strength, both on and off the battlefield. That even when we are defeated, we are always standing back up no matter the odds. Seeing it in the night sky in Fodlan gives me lots of comfort whenever I am sad, or angry about something, I am thinking.”

Ashe’s lips parted in awe at the constellation. “Wow,” he simply said, both amazed and saddened by her words.

“He was telling me to look to the night sky for the stars and spirit’s guidance if I am ever saddened or unsure, to remember my origins. But even still, my heart now is… unsure of what I am to do now…” Petra pulled out the note again and unfolded it.

“Ashe. May I be telling you what is written here? But you must not be speaking a word to anyone.”

“Sure,” he solemnly nodded. “But only if you’re OK with it, Petra.”

She flashed him a thankful smile and proceeded to read out the note in full to Ashe. It was relatively short, yet straight to the point. The content of the letter decorated with pretty words that were twisted by the underlying tone of the letter’s writer, Edelgard, that gave Petra reassurances disguised as warnings at best, threats at worst. When she finished reading the letter’s neat, cursive writing, Ashe leaned back to absorb all the information he’d learned.

“That letter. That’s what’s written in it? That’s a lot to take in.”

“It is,” Petra nodded. I have thought about this for many days. I am not sure why Edelgard is asking this of me, and not my Grandfather- but I suppose I am needing to be making difficult decisions like this if I am to be Queen one day.”

Petra leaned back against the stone wall.

“I know my heart has long desired this. For Brigid to be free from the Empire. But I am afraid that my decision may cause Edelgard to act against Brigid. Even if she has indicated that she would not do as such in her letter, her deceptiveness as the Flame Emporer is not putting me at ease.”

Ashe hummed and ruminated on the contents of the letter Petra had read to him, and the threatening tone behind what Edelgard posed as a peaceful compromise. Before he began attending the Officer’s Academy, he couldn’t imagine making a decision that would weigh heavily on one’s back like this did for Petra, one that could affect so many people. He wondered if his choice to fire the arrow that ended his confrontation with Lonato came close, he was but one man after all.

Ashe cut through the silence. “I know it may not mean much coming from me,” he muttered, low enough for her to hear. “But I think… I think you did the right thing. I admittedly don’t know much about Brigid and its past with the Empire besides what you’ve told me, but I know it’s not pretty,” Ashe grimaced.

“But I think it’s admirable of you to be able to decide that Petra. I think- I think that speaks to how strong you are. Maybe that’s why Edelgard asked  _ you _ ,” Ashe spoke confidently. “Edelgard knows how strong and capable you are. She’d trust you to make a decision like that.”

Ashe leaned his side onto the stone wall. “I don’t know if I could ever do something like that, honestly. N-not that I’m trying to make it about me, but I’m sure you get what I mean,” Ashe quickly elaborated. 

“You always want to learn more and do your best at anything you put your mind to. In training or battle, you always bounce back and get back up again, no matter what. Not everyone has that drive, and can shoulder that level of responsibility like you have to,” he stated a matter-of-factly.

Ashe grinned and burst into a chuckle. “If I didn’t know any better, you’re just like that Hunter in the sky like you described. It’s… kind of incredible, to be honest.”

Unbeknownst to Ashe, Petra’s eyes had already trained on him for some time whilst he was talking, staring at him with a mix of relief, bewilderment, curiosity, and embarrassment as he casually heaped on reassurances and praise with honeyed words. She ignored the fact she was quite flustered too. “Ashe. Are you trying to be flattering me?”

“What?” the boy blinked confusedly. He looked down to where Petra sat on the ground and met her gaze. “Of course not. I-I was just being honest. It’s just, you know…”

“I am not knowing, Ashe. Please tell me,” Petra stated to him bluntly, but a tiny smile betrayed her claim.

“Well, if, you know- oh Goddess,” Ashe sputtered. “I just… hate to see you so upset, is all,” Ashe shyly admitted. “I can’t help but feel sad, too when you are. So I thought I’d say some encouraging words to make you feel not so down hopefully. I sort of ended up rambling without thinking there, so I’m sorry if I said anything wrong.”

“No, no,” Petra shook her head. “You are not doing anything wrong, Ashe. I have much gratitude for your words. They are helping more than you are knowing,” she smiled to back her reassurance. 

Ashe huffed in relief. “Oh! Well, that’s great! That’s, uh, really good. Yeah,” he awkwardly coughed.

The girl hummed and directed her gaze upward again. She stared at the Hunter, then at the Lion. “If you are thinking that I am the Hunter, Ashe, then you are like the Lion, I am thinking.”

Ashe looked at the Lion constellation, then the Brigid Princess. “The Lion? Are you saying I’m kind of like prey?”

Petra giggled before her giggles cracked into louder laughs that she made her force a hand to cover her mouth to keep her mouth shut desperately. “No, but I am understanding that question. Do you see it? Over there. The hunter and the Lion are facing another constellation.”

Ashe’s eyes directed itself to the sky and moved in the direction Petra pointed out. To his surprise, another constellation found itself settled in the sky, in the direction towards Enbarr, the capital of the enemy that would soon be at their doorstep.

A large eagle, with its mighty wings, spread wide, staring down at the Leo and Cernunnos.

“Oh wow,” Ashe said in awe. “You’re right.” Ashe took a moment to realise what point Petra was making. Leo and Cernunnos, both stared down the Eagle as it threatened to swoop in to attack, the Lion protectively watching over the very being that would be its natural enemy.

“The Lion… it looks like it’s protecting the Hunter,” Ashe absentmindedly said his internal observations out aloud. “The Hunter doesn’t need protection, especially from a Lion… but they accept their help anyway, to defeat a strong enemy together. Or something like that.”

“Yes,” Petra agreed. “We are having the same thinking, you and I.” Petra pulled up a leg to lean on it. She stops momentarily and looks at him with a wide grin.

“If I am like Cernunnos in the sky, then Ashe, you are like Leo in the sky, the Lion that is being like those knights in the stories you are showing to me. Strong. Valiant. Gallant,” she listed off. “Perhaps you can be becoming my Guardian Knight, Ashe. I cannot think of another who I would like for such a job, after all.”

The young boy’s eyes widened, and everything instantly became a haze. Ashe forgot how to breathe as he processed the words she said so casually, yet so directly and seriously and once, The thought of becoming  _ her _ knight, not unlike the way Kyphon was to Loog made his heart rush in a way he didn’t feel often. Bright red coloured his cheeks as Ashe took in a breath his body desperately needed.

The boy cleared his throat. “W-well, um, that would be nice. Yeah. Oh Goddess, I…”

“It would be nice, yes. But,” Petra shifted in place to make herself comfortable. “Your brother and sister would be missing you. To do something like moving from your home at such times would be difficult. And Knights are not in Brigid like they are here in Fodlan.”

Goddess above, Ashe thought. There was a chance that Petra was completely serious about that proposition. Not a single iota of a smirk appeared on her lips, not a single sound of a giggle escaped her lips. Her face relaxed into a frown, and his heart beat a little faster, now with more than just shock and surprise drumming against his ribs.

Ashe’s lips quivered, his mind drawing a blank, making him unsure of what to say for a moment. All he knew is that the idea sounded appealing in a way he could hardly comprehend.

“F-five years,” Ashe blurted out.

Petra blinked, confused, then widened her eyes in realisation.

“Even if His Highness is not entirely stable, we still promised to reunite here in five years. If the war is still going on- or even if it’s finished, let’s reunite here too. A-and if you still want, I’ll do it,” Ashe licked his lips that had dried faster than he realised. “I’ll become your Guardian Knight. I’ll go back to Brigid with you, and you can show me everything about your homeland. The ocean. The culture and food. You can teach me the language, techniques and secret skills, everything. In return, I’ll do my best to protect you, like the Lion and the Hunter. Then we can fulfil our dreams, for you to free Brigid, and me to be a knight.”

Every word came cascading out his mouth like a rushing river, Ashe for some reason desperate to let off something he didn’t know was weighing on his chest. He’d always admired Petra from afar, but perhaps he only realised now that admiration evolved into something that made him desperate not to see her go, now that their time together was going to be cut short, war or not.

Now it was Petra’s turn to be awestruck, her mouth hung open in surprise to his enthusiastic response, and if Ashe didn’t know better, a pretty blush dusted her cheeks.

“I see… I have understanding, Ashe,” she nodded with little emotion and Ashe slumped. Who was he kidding? Of course, that wasn’t going to make her feel better. He gave her nothing but empty promises that he knew, like her, that he couldn’t fulfil. Petra stood up and shyly motioned for him to do so as well. The young boy cautiously followed after her, stood up, and walked down onto the cobbled floor where Petra stood. She held out his hand and tilted her head up a little to meet his eyes, only just realising how much taller he’d gotten since the start of their year at Garreg Mach together. 

“If that is a thing you are longing for, then we let us wait. In five years, we can be thinking about such a decision again. I would be loving for you to come to my homeland with me, to be doing such things now, it would be... hasty, I am thinking.”

“O-OK. Yeah. You’re right,” Ashe raised his right hand but faltered. “I-I’m sorry if that was a little too much, by the way. Especially if I made you uncomfortable or… ah!”

Petra clasped his right with her own and suddenly pulled him forward, much to his surprise. He had a moment barely to realise what happened, and before he could react, Petra pressed wrapped her arms around his torso as he tumbled forward, stopping him in place. Ashe had not a moment to reciprocate the hug before Petra pushed up on her tip-toes and pressed her lips to his cheek in a chaste kiss that he barely had a moment to register. 

The girl let him go and stepped back with a shy smile directed at his dumbfounded expression, and brushed loose strands of hair behind her ear.

“W-wait, Petra, what just…?”

Before he could further question her, the Princess shuffled away, snagging her lamp from the stairs along the way. She retreated into the night monetarily. The young girl stopped and turned back.

“Ashe,” she called out to him.

“Yes?” He replied, surprised that Petra could hear his whispered response.

“I am grateful for your kindness and compassion Ashe. Thank you.”

Petra turned her back again and ran to her dorms, leaving a baffled Ashe behind in her wake. Eventually, he came back to reality and retreated to his dorm room as well, and eyed Petra’s dorm room door as he jogged past.

Everything in his mind played on replay as he stumbled into bed, cheeks still red from the sudden, but welcome hug and kiss. Ashe pressed his hand against his cheek where he felt her lips earlier. He ruminated on the kiss with butterflies in his stomach as he replayed it over and over in his mind for what seemed like an eternity. His body eventually forced out a yawn, and his eyelids fell shut, Ashe still smiling, giddy, despite the circumstances that surrounded him.

And much to his relief, Ashe slept soundly that night.

**Author's Note:**

> And with that, there's one more fic to go! It'll be a combination Day 7 + Day 8 fic, so keep an eye out open for it.
> 
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated, as usual!


End file.
